


Blue Ribbon

by AndromedaofOthys



Series: Stronger than the fate [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Awesome Peggy Carter, F/M, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, M/M, Obsession, Steve Rogers Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-18 21:39:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7331554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndromedaofOthys/pseuds/AndromedaofOthys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve and Bucky, Bucky and Steve - but there was always a third member of their friendship. Hope Daniels, girl with mysterious past, and even more mysterious life. The only imprint she left in the history of World War Two was a singular picture of her with Howling Commandos with no signature displayed in Smithsonian, and a sky-blue ribbon in Howard Stark's office. Why? Who was she? The answers, as Tony will find out, only open more questions, with only two people knowing all answers. The catch? They've been labeled KIA since 1945.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I really should be working on my programming skills, but my muse decided to bug me with this idea, mostly due to CA:TCW. That movie nearly broke my Stony-shipping heart :( Comments are always welcome!

Steve Rogers was not in habit of pitying himself: growing up as sickly, skinny kid on the streets of Brooklyn during the Great Depression taught him that, apart from his close friend Bucky and not-so-close friends Hope and Arnie, no one really cared, so self-pity was of no use. Seeing Hope march towards him however, fury enveloping her like a second layer of fabric, brought out those thoughts.

‘Steven Grant Rogers. How could you?! You didn’t even tell me you enlisted, you little piece of shit, let alone became Captain-effing-America!’ Steve winced and turned his gaze down to the muddy ground, and the girls he did the USO tour with giggled.

‘Hey, Hope. How did you get to Italy?’ Hope stalked up close, her face inches away from his, her auburn hair flying everywhere.

‘Don’t even _try_.’ The low-tone sentence was delivered through gritted teeth. ‘First Bucky goes away to get himself killed, and then you go off and become a chorus boy!’

‘It wasn’t exactly -’ Steve was well and truly uncomfortable. Hope pressed her forefinger to his lips, shutting him up.

‘Doesn’t excuse it.’ She paused slightly. ‘Arnie died.’ Steve’s breath caught in his throat, and he automatically extended his arms, drawing her closer.

‘God.’ There was sincere shock in his voice. ‘I didn’t even know he had enlisted.’ Hope shook in his hold, burying her head into his broad shoulders.

‘They say it was bullet, but there was no body anywhere.’ A chill went through Steve’s body.

‘You think Nazi took him?’

‘Or that Arnie’s SO lied to my face.’ Now she lifted her head and locked her sky-blue eyes with Steve’s baby blues, pleading. ‘Would you try to find out?’

‘Of-’ Steve never finished his sentence as one of the battered soldiers came over, leering at the girls, Hope especially.

‘Hello sweetheart’, he drawled, walking up to Hope, completely disregarding Steve’s presence at her side. ‘My offer still stands.’ Hope detached herself from Steve and took a step forward.

‘I wouldn’t be with you if you were last man on Earth, Hodge’, she spat glaring. _Hodge?_ Steve was startled to see the old bully from Camp Lehigh here. While he mulled on the possibility of them running into each other, Hodge plowed on, ignoring Hope’s rising ire.

‘That pretty-boy ain’t coming back, sweetie, might as well enjoy your stay here.’ He waggled his eyebrows at her, prompting her to punch him squarely in the nose, breaking it in process. He yowled and jumped back, clutching the bloody nose.

‘You little bitch!’ He took a threatening step forward, only for Steve to step in the middle.

‘Leave her alone.’ There was a certain commanding air in that short sentence. Hodge sneered and opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by the dinner bell. Throwing Steve a deeply murderous look Hodge moved away back to the camp, while Hope stayed with Steve and girls, quickly getting drawn into fashion talk which Steve masterfully toned out. As he sat there thinking, he spotted Colonel Phillips entering one of the tents, making his heart jump up.

‘Hope? Which regiment is stationed here?’ Hope turned her head to Steve, who still stared after Phillips.

‘107th, why?’ Steve grinned.

‘Bucky. He’s here. His regiment.’ Hope started, then turned grim.

‘I… Steve. I didn’t see him. I saw Stark, and Carter and Philips, but Bucky… I don’t think he’s even in the camp.’ Something cold gripped Steve’s heart and he turned around.

‘Are you sure?’ Hope nodded.

‘Saw nor hide nor hair of him. He’s pretty damn loud, especially when in infirmary.’ Steve grimaced, remembering one of Bucky’s rare trips to hospital; it truly wasn’t pretty sight.

‘Then…’ Hope wordlessly pointed with her head to Phillips’ tent. Steve practically sprinted away.

‘He’s something else, you know? Hard to believe he’s real.’ One of the showgirls spoke up, drawing back Hope’s attention and wrangling smile out of her.

‘I know. I was his neighbor.’ All girls huddled up closer, interested in what she had to say.

‘Tell us’, the other showgirl demanded. Hope’s small smile broadened into a full-blown smirk.

‘Well, we met when we were five. And what a mouthy little punk he was, back then….’

 

Steve ran straight into the tent and up to Colonel’s desk, asking for Bucky.

‘Sergeant Barnes. I can spell it: B-A-R-’

‘Easy son’, Colonel Phillips interrupted him, covering his face with his right palm. ‘I just had a young lady here trying to find one of the soldiers – and I have no idea how she got here.’ Muttering something about being too old for the rambunctious youth, he failed to notice the stiffening of Steve’s shoulders or the thinning of his lips before he schooled himself into parade rest.

‘The name, I’m afraid, does sound slightly familiar...’ he moved around papers on his desk, picking out the envelope and giving it over to Steve.

‘I’m sorry, son.’ Steve stared blankly at the envelope then returned it gently onto the desk, exiting the tent and walking over to Hope, deep in storytelling. As he drew closer, she finished the story and turned to face him, looking expectantly at him. When his expression registered with her, she covered her mouth with her hand and jumped up, running over to him. Steve embraced her mindlessly, his eyes staring into the blank space. After a few minutes, Hope pulled away, looking at her friend.

‘Dead, or…’

‘Taken’, Steve answered dully. ‘Behind the enemy lines with the rest of the regiment. May as well be dead.’ Hope frowned.

‘I didn’t take you for the quitter, Steven’, came the sharp voice from behind him. Steve closed his eyes and Hope leaned to the side to catch the glimpse of the newcomer.

‘Agent Carter?’ Hope was smiling now.

‘Miss Daniels.’ Then she walked up to Steve and leaned to whisper in his ear.

‘Tonight, behind the barracks. Stark will be waiting.’ With those words, she walked away, leaving Steve and Hope puzzled. Taking a deep breath, Steve turned to Hope.

‘Can I count on you, Hope?’ Hope paled, but nodded.

‘I better be the first resort, you little shit.’ Steve’s smile didn’t touch his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**_1975_ **

Anthony ‘Tony’ Stark was bored. Mum was away on some cha-ri-ty thing, and Dad locked himself into his office with an amber bottle – again. Jarvis was out shopping, and he locked the workshop with his key, making Tony pinky-promise not to enter it until he returns. The problem was, he left only ten minutes ago, and in Tony’s experience shopping took about an hour; hence his current state of boredom. After a few minutes of pacing around his room, he settled down with some wires and a circuit board, determined to do _something_ at least, but even that couldn’t hold his attention for long.

A sudden slam of the door and heavy footsteps passing past his room told him that his Dad had moved from his office and into his bedroom, where he stayed until morning. Tony quietly lowered the circuit and wires onto the bench and padded as noiselessly as possible to the door, cracking it open just enough to wriggle through and set off to Dad’s office. He grew into the habit of going there when Dad was away: that was the only time he could examine his Dad’s WWII memorabilia in peace, without his father constantly comparing him with Captain America. After checking his surroundings he slipped through his Dad’s office’s open doors, darting instantly to flashy stars-and-stripes shield and an unassuming sky-blue ribbon encased in glass.

The shield he knew everything about: Captain America’s USO tour shield, discarded after Dad made the circular one out of vibranium, the one that was buried somewhere in the Arctic Sea along with Captain himself. The ribbon, however, was always an object of interest for Tony: his Mum didn’t know anything about it, neither did Jarvis, and Dad refused to speak about it, although he once overheard Dad mumbling ‘hope’ over and over whilst looking at the ribbon. Granted, it was after he drank half the amber bottle, so Tony was unwilling to take it seriously: Dad was never really himself when he drank from those bottles. He sometimes hit Tony during those times, and talked a lot about people named Steve, Hope and Bucky. _True heroes, those three_ , Dad would slur. _Too good for this world, and now they’re dead._ Tony couldn’t really understand what made them heroes, but it wasn’t like anyone was going to explain it to five-year-old, even if they were Tony Stark. Anyone except Aunt Peggy, that is. Tony enjoyed Aunt Peggy’s few and far-between visits: she would tell him about Day D, Dwight Eisenhower, Howling Commandos, Pearl Harbor. She even spoke about Captain America occasionally, regaling him with funny anecdotes about his time as a poster boy.

‘Boy?’ came a slurred voice from behind. Tony jumped away from the glass case and turned guiltily around, facing Howard who held an empty bottle in his hand.

‘Sorry Dad, I just -’

‘GET OUT!’ Howard shouted, throwing the bottle and smashing it on the table, inches away from Tony’s face. Tony skittered around the table and past Howard, running out in the corridor and into his room, crying softly. Howard swayed slightly in place, ignoring his son's flight and walked up to the glass case, caressing the glass surrounding the sky-blue ribbon.

‘Hope…’ he muttered. ‘W’sh you c’d be h’re, w’th T’ny…’

**_1943_ **

Steve, after having jumped out of Stark’s plane and landing, carefully surveyed the woods surrounding him. Hope will be coming any moment, he knew, and if Nazi figured out how special she was, she would become their number one target. A soft silver light behind him alerted him to Hope’s arrival. He turned around to see Hope’s solidifying figure form in front of him. After Hope’s body fully reformed, Steve offered her his shield mutely, but she shook her head.

‘No need, Stevie, I have my own.’ To demonstrate, she pulled a wicked-looking dagger out of thin air, a silver gleam around her hand the only telling sign that it was honest-to-god magic, and not just sleight of hand.

‘Okay.’ Steve was quite nervous as they approached the enemy camp. Suddenly he hissed and tugged Hope behind the bush.

‘Stevie?’

‘HYDRA’ he said, tension reverberating through his body. Hope shuddered and curled into a ball.

‘How are we getting past them?’ Steve sent her an almost feral grin.

‘Through the front door.’ Hope shot him an incredulous look.

 

Johann Schmidt was not one of the impatient men: he bided his time, setting up his network of spies, searching for the Cosmic Cube, tracking Allies’ progress. Being the patient man, however, did not mean he didn’t have day-to-day problems to deal with, and the incompetence of the majority of his underlings was definitely on the top of that list. It was hardly a surprise, he reflected while watching the security feed of an unknown man and woman punching and blasting their way into his facility, that it would come to head sooner or later; the surprise laid in the identity of people who showcased it to him.

‘Herr Kapitäin’, he murmured in appreciation and disgust seeing his only successor and equal, the only other supersoldier. ‘Fighting in the name of the God you cannot see and country who didn’t want you at the front lines.’ He snorted and turned his attention to the woman flanking him. He would call Captain America an idiot for letting the woman fight, had he not seen the efficiency and brutality of street-raised child in her take-downs and kills. The blade she wielded was as much of a tool as it was an extension of her body. Intrigued by them, he set the self-destruction timer and swept off in search of Doctor Zola, and then, if the time allowed it, meeting with Captain and the mystery woman.

 

Steve and Hope cleared through the front gate relatively quickly and set off to find the prison quarters. In there, they set the prisoners free, with Steve frantically asking about Bucky and getting a dark response about the wing no one walked out of alive, and Hope confirming Arnie’s death (blown to pieces by HYDRA’s tech). After Steve gave them directions to their camp, they set off to the ‘death wing’, as Hope half-jokingly called it. There they found Bucky strapped to the table, muttering his rank and number.

‘Buck? Buck!’ Steve shook him slightly as he broke the straps holding Bucky down. Hope was right across him, checking his vitals.

‘Slightly elevated heart rate, but in this situation it’s completely normal… Steady breathing and heart rhythm, no fever, no apparent broken or fractured bones, or pulled tendons… I think he’s okay to go on, Stevie’, Hope pronounced.

‘W-what?’ Bucky mumbled, trying to orient himself as he automatically tried to sit up and flail, Steve catching him. ‘Steve? Is that you?’

‘Yeah’, Steve was elated. ‘Yeah, Buck. It’s me.’

‘How did you get bigger?’

‘I joined the army.’ Hope snorted as Steve helped Bucky slide off the table.

‘Is it permanent?’

‘So far.’

‘Okay, you lot, we better get out of here’, Hope interrupted. ‘Those HYDRA soldiers didn’t look like they leave evidence behind.’ And right on the clue, an explosion shook the outer walls of the building. Exchanging a short look, Steve, Hope and Bucky ran.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't noticed yet, I'm taking a bit of liberty with CA: The First Avenger, and quite a bit of liberty with portrayal of Howard Stark. Everything will make sense, don't worry: I'm not planning on kicking canon to the curb too much- no promises about Civil War, though! :)

**_1986_ **

Tony was fussing around his ‘bot he decided to call Dummy when Jarvis approached him.

‘Young Master Stark?’ Tony didn’t lift his head, instead raising his palm in the universal ‘wait a moment’ signal. Jarvis let him, and after a few more minutes of fussing Tony stood up from kneeling position, slapping off the dust on his knees.

‘Yeah, J?’

‘Your Father wants to speak with you.’ Tony shrugged indifferently.

‘I’m busy. One of Dummy’s pressure sensors is a bit loose.’ Jarvis laid a hand on Tony’s shoulder, already used to such behavior.

‘It seems to be quite important, sir. Your Father does not appear inebriated.’ That stopped Tony cold.

‘He wants to talk to me, _without_ the help from booze? Has the hell frozen over?’ Jarvis rolled his eyes good-naturedly and pushed his unofficial charge to the VIP section. Tony stumbled a step, glared at his butler-slash-closest-confident and sauntered off, his heart sharing the spot with his larynx and betraying his nonchalant visage. When he entered the VIP section, Howard was indeed sober, although Tony could spot an untouched glass of scotch on the table next to his chair. Howard motioned for Tony to sit on one of the unoccupied chairs, then took out an old bottle of scotch and new glass, pouring a generous amount of it in and pushing it over to his son, who silently accepted it.

‘I kept this one for a while’, Howard started, nodding to the bottle. ‘The little wench made me swear not to drink it before I made peace with the past.’

‘Wench?’ Tony was intrigued, picking up the glass and swirling it slightly.

‘Hope Daniels’, was Howard’s reply. ‘Smart gal. Had to be, keeping Steve and Commandos in line.’ Tony froze for the moment, then forced himself to relax, suddenly thankful for the presence of alcohol in the room.

‘Hope Daniels.’ Howard took out the sky-blue ribbon from his breast pocket. Tony’s eyes zeroed in on it, and Howard smiled grimly.

‘You’ve sit through History of WWII. You know about Captain America and Howling Commandos.’ Tony nodded jerkily, still not looking away from the ribbon dangling from his father’s fingers. ‘What no history textbook has, is the truth about them.’ Now, Tony flinched back from Howard’s tone and lifted his eyes to his father’s.

‘The truth?’ Howard sighed heavily and picked up his glass, swirling it but not drinking.

‘Falsworth, Dugan, Morita, Barnes, Jones, Dernier, led by Captain Rogers. They always forget to include Hope Daniels in the roster.’

‘A girl? In the middle of war?’ Tony was incredulous. He knew Aunt Peggy fought as well, but almost never in an open combat, stuck in logistics. Howard snorted.

‘Never took no for an answer, that girl. Annoyed Phillips to no end, but she was the only one with anything remotely resembling medical skills who could be spared, so she went with them. Special, too.’ He placed the ribbon on the table reverently. ‘She could take Commandos anywhere in matter of seconds, and return them in same time.’

‘Teleportation?’

‘Portalling’, Howard shook his head. ‘Or so she called it. I’ve never seen anything like it before.’ Tony took a deep sip of his drink, feeling sudden need for it.

‘You’re saying she was magical.’

‘Not exactly.’ Howard was staring into his glass. ‘I shouldn’t be telling you much about her, Tony. SSR, Peggy and I erased her from history for good reason. And after Winter Soldier and the Red Room… we were right to do so.’ Tony shivered. Unlike many children, he was raised in the house where Winter Soldier wasn’t purely a story for scaring children.

‘So… who knows?’ Howard took a gulp of alcohol.

‘The remaining Howling Commandos, Peggy and I are the only ones still alive. We even destroyed all physical evidence – the enlistment papers, photos and the like.’ Tony’s hand shook as he lowered the glass.

‘She… she doesn’t exist?’ Howard shook her head.

‘Simply forged the death certificate to say death from heart attack, not killed in combat.’ Tony leaned back into the chair heavily.

‘Dead?’ Howard nodded.

‘Went down with Captain and the plane.’

  


**_1943_ **

Steve, Bucky and Hope had just reached the closest bridge to take them across the fiery inferno triggered by self-destruct button when Johann Schmidt and Arnim Zola appeared on the other end of the bridge.

‘Captain America!’ Johann called across the chasm, slowly walking towards the trio. ‘I’m great fan of your movies!’

‘Schmidt.’ Steve was steadily holding his prop shield in front of him, mirroring him. Hope took a look at the small briefcase Johann gave to Zola before he ventured on the bridge and took a step back, her hands balling up spasmodically. Bucky, ever vigilant of his other friend, noticed it.

‘What is it?’ he muttered to her.

‘The blasted thing is here’, she hissed. ‘It’s calling me.’ Bucky inhaled.

‘Steve? We have a problem.’ Steve stopped, so did Johann. They eyed each other uneasily, and Steve half-turned to his friends, still keeping Schmidt in his peripheral.

‘What now?’

‘That _thing_ ’, Hope ground out, ‘is _here_.’ Steve instantly took a protective step back, still in half-profile to Schmidt.

‘Where?’

‘I could ignore it in the base, but now…’ Hope took a deep breath. ‘The briefcase.’ Johann turned his head for the moment to look at the briefcase. When he returned his gaze to Americans, his face was contorted in an inhuman grin.

‘You can feel it? The Cosmic Cube’, he clarified. Hope averted her eyes, and his grin widened. He then proceeded to remove his mask and revealed his red face, giving them a spiel about the new world, dominated by the two supersoldiers. He even extended the invitation

‘A future with no flags, no gods… just us’, he yelled to Steve. ‘And your friends are more than welcome to join. To survive Doctor Zola’s procedures for so long… and knowing where the Cube is, at any time…HYDRA would welcome them with open arms.’ Hope and Bucky exchanged glances while Steve stood, slightly unsure. A dagger sailed across the space, embedding itself in the railing inches away from Schmidt’s head.

‘Like hell!’ Hope shouted from the other side, prompting Zola to pull the lever, retracting the bridge.

‘Not my future!’ Steve hollered in response, with Johann grimacing in disappointment. 

Captain America and Red Skull separated, holding each other’s gaze until the bridge retracted completely. Johann was the first one to break the eye contact, ushering Zola out. Doing so, he failed to notice Hope linking her arms through Steve’s and Bucky’s, or the glow that surrounded the three Americans, or the fact that they vanished into thin air, reappearing behind one of the tanks.


	4. Chapter 4

**_1991_ **

Tony was sitting dejectedly on one of the sofas littering the parlor in Stark Mansion. The funeral was a harrowing experience, particularly with only Obie and Rhodey there, lacking Jarvis’ soothing presence. The glass of the same scotch he and his father shared years ago, when he first heard the name Hope Daniels, stood untouched in front of him despite Obie’s less-than-subtle hints about it.

‘Anthony Stark?’ An unfamiliar voice came from the direction of the doors. Tony turned around, his face smoothing out for the late condolence-giver, only to drop the mask and smile shakily at Aunt Peggy and intimidating Afro-American man with an eyepatch, the source of the voice.

‘Aunt Peggy’, he whispered as he speed-walked into her outstretched arms, mindful of her aging body. Peggy hugged him tightly, surprising him with the strength still lying in her body.

‘Tony’, she murmured, stroking her hand through Tony’s hair. The man stopped couple of steps behind the pair, watching the proceedings. After a minute, Peggy carefully detached herself from Tony, keeping her hands on Tony’s shoulder.

‘So grown up’, she said smiling at him, lone tear slipping from the corner of her eye.

‘Thank you’, Tony wiped his own tears with his shirtsleeve, drawing a watery glare from Peggy. ‘Why are you here, Auntie?’ She guided him back to his seat, motioning for the other man to follow them and find himself and sit. They sat down, Peggy on the same sofa as Tony, the other man across the table.

‘The legacy of your father’, Peggy sighed as she started, ‘was vast. Captain America was just the beginning: the weapons, security protocols, inventions. You know better than anyone how many things Howard left behind. We-’

‘You want blueprints? No’, Tony cut her off.

‘Not blueprints’, the other man snorted, leaning forward. ‘The intel. Your old man had quite a few secrets; we’re just checking they remained secret.’

‘And you are?’ Tony was pissed.

‘Tony, meet Nicholas ‘Nick’ Fury’, Peggy intervened. ‘He’s my confidante and a dear friend.’

‘A dear friend?’ Tony couldn’t hold back a snort. ‘Then why is he so interested in my father’s secrets?’

‘A precaution’, Peggy reassured him. ‘Some of the government things your father did were fairly high clearance level.’ Tony slumped into the back of sofa.

‘What secrets?’ he asked tiredly. ‘I’m not aware of them. Father was pretty close-lipped about anything and everything he did.’

‘On the contrary’, Nick leaned back as well. ‘You know more about Captain America and Silver Comet than anyone who didn’t know them personally or has the right clearance level.’ Tony blinked.

‘Silver Comet?’

‘Hope’s alias in the field’, Peggy clarified. Tony’s lips curled into the ghost of the smile.

‘Ironic. Yes, I know about them.’ He touched his breast pocket, conscious of the sky-blue ribbon his father gave it to him when he first told him about her. ‘A perfect soldier and a witchy healer.’ Peggy flinched and frowned at the nicknames.

‘Steve was hardly perfect’, she hedged. ‘And Hope was so much more than just a healer.’ Tony waved her off.

‘Yes, yes, I know. Just… what was the _real_ reason for you to come and check on me, in person?’ Peggy smiled humorlessly.

‘Can’t I check on my nephew’s state of mind after losing both of his parents? The intel was just a good excuse.’

‘And it’s good to know your old man shared it’, Nick commented lazily. ‘You do know your father financed the search for their bodies?’ Tony nodded.

‘I designed some of the probes and scanners they used there.’

‘Will you continue to fund it?’ There was an unsettling glint in Fury’s eyes. Peggy’s glare at him could freeze Sahara desert. Tony shook his head.

‘I don’t know.’ He picked up the glass, swirling it, terribly aware he imitated his father, then placed it down. ‘I need to make peace with my past’, he echoed his father’s, and by proxy Hope Daniels’ words. Peggy’s eyes widened and watered; it was obvious she was aware of the significance of the words.

‘He… he told you about that?’ Her voice shook. Tony sighed.

‘When he told me about her, he had this liquor on the table’, he nodded to the glass. ‘The bottle was opened for the first time, and he only drank from it after he told me about her. He gave it to me the next day. _The curse of Starks_ , he said, _is trying too hard to live up to ideals and living in the past_.’ Nick snorted and stood up.

‘I think we’re done here, Carter.’ Peggy dried her eyes and stood up, but not before she patted Tony on the shoulder.

‘I think so, too. My condolences, Tony. I miss them.’ Tony froze, then started laughing. It was a laughter belying depression and madness, reverberating through the empty parlor. Peggy recoiled, and even Fury flinched at the sound.

‘Do you know’, Tony spoke through laughter, ‘you’re the first one who said that, and meant it?’

**_1943_ **

The trek back to the base was long, but the freed POW’s didn’t even feel the exertion, buoyed by adrenaline of their escape and three figures leading and directing their movements. Bucky got himself a HYDRA gun from somewhere – Steve didn’t dare ask where from – and was proudly leading the ragtag group armed to teeth with stolen guns and a tank. Hope lingered at the back; perched on the tank she was cleaning deeper wounds with a bottle of alcohol tank drivers found in it and strips she tore off her long-sleeved blouse.  Steve marched in front of the tank, surrounded by the men, shield discarded. When they approached the base, the men in the base were at first shocked, then ran at them, surrounding them. Hugs, tears, pats on the back and handshakes were being exchanged when Colonel Chester Phillips and Agent Peggy Carter ran out of the command tent and forced their way in the middle of the group, where Steve and Hope were. Steve noticed them and turned to Colonel, Hope sliding off the tank to stand at his side.

‘I’m turning myself in for disciplinary actions’, Steve proclaimed for everyone to hear. The silence was deafening. Colonel mulled for a few seconds, then snorted.

‘No need for it, Captain’, he emphasized the last word. Bucky grinned.

‘Let’s hear it for Captain America!’ he shouted, the cheer answered by the rest of freed soldiers and Hope, the rest of the base joining in.

 

That night, after debrief about HYDRA and the decision to form an elite strike team, Steve went to the nearby tavern, where he hoped to find the men he wanted for his team. Falsworth, Dugan, Dernier, Jones and Morita were sitting at one of the tables when he approached them with the idea.

‘Let me get this straight: you want us to go in there after we just got out?’ Dugan asked as the rest exchanged glances.

‘Yeah?’ Steve was unsure. Were they going to refuse?

‘Count me in’, Dugan declared, echoed by the others, with Jones’ cheeky comment of opening the tab which made everyone laugh. After that exchange, Steve made his way to the table in the far corner. There, sitting across each other and holding each other’s hands were Hope and Bucky, their drinks sitting barely touched as they talked. Steve felt his face shift into a huge grin, and couldn’t resist the quip.

‘Finally figured it out?’ Hope sent him a scowl before returning her gaze to Bucky’s face.

‘At least I’m getting some, punk’, Bucky fired back. Steve laughed and leaned on their table.

‘So, are you ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?’ Bucky snorted and Hope choked out a laugh.

‘That big-headed idiot? No. The little kid from Brooklyn, who never knew when to back to down? I’m following him.’

‘Ditto.’ Hope then spotted something behind Steve. ‘Good evening, Agent Carter!’ Bucky and Steve turned their heads to see Peggy walk in, a deep-red backless dress accentuating her curves.

‘Good evening Miss Daniels, Sergeant, Captain.’ She walked past them, Steve tracking her every move. Bucky wolf-whistled and Hope whacked him over the head.

‘Say, Stevie, are you leaving the costume?’ she asked, nodding to the USO tour poster with ‘Canceled until further notice’ plastered on it. Steve took a look, then smiled.

‘You know what? I grew rather attached to it.’


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa! This little baby just keeps surprising me... by my rough estimation, I'll be done with it in about two chapters. Good Lord. Enjoy!

**_2008_ **

‘I am Iron Man.’

Tony leaned back into his chair, ignoring the ruckus reporters created as the words left his mouth. Pepper led him away, talking his ear off about being impossible, irresponsible and the company, which he masterfully tuned out. It was not until she threw in a comment about being egoistical, needing the whole world to know his name behind the mask, when he snapped.

‘It wasn’t only for me’, he hissed at Pepper, who took a step backward. He stalked off, leaving Pepper alone and almost immediately running into Agent Coulson.

‘This was unwise, Mr. Stark’, Coulson noted blandly.

‘I don’t want to end up like Silver Comet’, Tony said, rage seeping into his voice. Coulson blinked.

‘Who?’ Tony gestured.

‘There you go.’ He pushed past him and went into his car, giving Happy curt order to get him home. After Pepper sped past him and got in at the last moment, Coulson speed-dialed and waited for the person on the other end of the line to pick up. After three rings, it happened.

‘Good afternoon sir.’ Coulson paused. ‘Yes, I know, sir. I couldn’t do anything. Stark is off the grid, and has the intel SHIELD doesn’t have.’

‘ _Is it about Silver Comet?_ ’ came a tinny question.

‘Yes, sir.’

‘ _Leave it. It’s far above your clearance level. Only Directors have the access to those files._ ’ Phil Coulson blinked.

‘Not even the World Security Council?’

‘ _They especially._ ’ A pause. ‘ _What have I told you, when I made you my in-field second-in-command?_ ’

‘Don’t trust anyone’, Phil answered automatically, the response ingrained during his personal sessions with the man. ‘Further orders, sir?’

‘ _Your mission’s over. Romanoff will take it from here._ ’

‘Acknowledged, sir.’ Agent Phillip Coulson of Strategic Homeland Intelligence Enforcement and Logistics Department, more commonly referred simply as SHIELD, ended the call and walked away, metling into the crowd of people surrounding Stark Industries.

 

Nick Fury listened to the sound of ended call, then turned to one of the tactical displays with the map of Arctic Sea. After scouring over the red and white dots, he tapped on the phone, dialing up the number he never thought he’d have to call.

‘ _Hey, Nicky_ ’, was the greeting on the other end in Tony Stark’s voice. ‘ _Could you call me later? I’m kinda busy._ ’

‘You blew off Coulson’, Nick countered. ‘Iron Man should’ve stayed under the wraps.’

‘ _Silver Comet_ ’, was Tony’s only reply. Nick grimaced.

‘I can’t reverse previous Director’s decisions when it comes to personnel files. Her presence in history books is quite impossible to explain to the general public, even for us.’

‘ _Bullshit._ ’ The frost in Tony’s voice was audible through the static of mobile connection. ‘ _If I can come out and say “I am Iron Man”, you sure as hell can think of something sneaky that can introduce her to the other people out there._ ’ Nick sighed, opening the manila folder titled ‘Captain America’ and pulling out the black and white photo out of it.

‘I have lot of ideas’, Nick said, holding the photo, ‘but the protocols are bitch to get around. No computer files allowed.’

‘ _That so?_ ’ The glee was unmistakable in billionaire’s voice. ‘ _How long can you hold it on the server?_ ’

‘Two minutes, maximum’, Nick replied not missing a beat as he placed the photo into the nearby scanner, letting the scan on the server. ‘Minute, most likely.’

‘ _More than enough_ ’, Stark declared, and Nick could hear the furious typing in the background. ‘ _Okay, I’m in. Flag me when it’s uploaded; I’ll delete it on my way out._ ’ At that moment, the scanner beeped and Nick walked around the display, typing in the override password and placing the scan on the server. ‘It’s on.’

‘ _Hooo-kay. Aha!_ ’ A short pause. ‘ _That her? In the middle, between Rogers and Barnes? Holy shit, was she_ married _?_ ’

‘Engaged’, Nick replied. ‘The groom died before the date.’ Tony cursed.

‘ _Aw hell. Awful luck._ ’

‘Indeed, Stark. Indeed.’

  ** _1944_**

The weather in Switzerland is horrible, Hope reflected as she climbed up behind the Howling Commandos on the cliff overlooking the passage deep in the neutral territory. That passage, incidentally, held the railway for the train which should held Arnim Zola, according to the intel the HQ received. With the eyes of the battlefield-experienced medic she examined her boys. Jacques and Jim were not going to participate actively, being needed at the listening station; same went for Falsworth and Dum Dum, but it was more due to them still sporting bandages from the last mission. That left only Gabe, Bucky and Steve. Hope paid closer attention to him, her worry raising up another notch as she noticed his left hand twitching. She winced as he shivered, the memory of the Poland mission still fresh in her mind.

**_Three months earlier_ **

Steve was in the woods, leading the Howling Commandos to the point where Hope was waiting for them, ready to portal them straight in the middle of the HYDRA base. They reached her without anyone noticing them, which in hindsight was the first warning something was wrong. Hope dropped them at the front door. Bucky kicked the door open, being the one closest, and revealed the empty factory. Commandos barely had the time to exchange confused looks when the shooting started.

‘They have us surrounded!’ Dum Dum shouted as he manically shot at everything in sight.

‘Not exactly!’ Bucky yelled from Steve’s right. ‘Hope set up the exit in the back, remember?’

‘I didn’t, you little shits!’ Hope ran from the factory, holding one of her daggers, which she instantly threw, nailing one of the thugs in the eyeball. Jacques wolf-whistled as he threw grenade at the group of thugs.

‘Barnes, mon ami, your girl is terrifying.’ Bucky smirked as he sniped one of the thugs targeting Hope.

‘Should’ve seen her in Brooklyn.’ Steve, who was twirling and throwing his shield in counterpoint to Hope’s daggers, was the first to spot the pattern.

‘They are trying to flush us out!’ Steve hollered across the battlefield. ‘Back up! In the factory! Morita, you and Daniels are on it! Dum Dum, Bucky, Dernier, cover us! Falsworth, get your ass on my six!’

‘Yessir!’ was echoed from the Commandos as they scrambled to follow Steve’s orders. Jim and Hope went in, and almost immediately ran out, coughing.

‘Some sort of gas, Stevie’, Hope said through hacks. ‘I will have to stay behind with someone to distract those idiots.’

‘I’ll stay’, Bucky volunteered instantly.

‘No’, Steve shot it down immediately. ‘Not recognizable enough. They’ll suspect something. I’ll stay.’

‘But Cap/Captain/punk…!’ Steve raised his head, stopping the upcoming argument.

‘Go!’ Hope’s hands moved in an intricate pattern crossing over each other, the silver light seeping off of them and forming a dark gateway. Steve ran out of their hiding spot, throwing and catching his shield every which way, allowing his comrades to get away. Before he got in, Bucky planted a quick kiss on Hope’s lips.

‘Keep an eye on our punk, yeah?’

‘Of course’, Hope smiled. Bucky walked away, and she took a deep breath before running out, straight into Red Skull’s trap for them.

**_The present_ **

Hope got tugged out of remembrance by strong arms enveloping her. She giggled and turned around, puckering her lips up to Bucky’s smiling ones.

‘For good luck, yeah?’ he joked.

‘Since when James Barnes needs luck?’ she teased right back as she kissed him.

‘Guys!’ Morita yelped, hearing the intercepted transmission. ‘The dispatcher was given the order to open full throttle!’ Bucky and Hope separated. With one last lingering gaze, Bucky stood behind Steve, waiting to cross the pass.

‘Let’s get moving, bugs!’ Dum Dum poked at Steve, who smiled grimly and set off, gliding down the line, leading his comrades away. As they got off safely on top of the train, an unexpected chill went through Hope.

‘Buck…’ she murmured. James Falsworth noticed it and motioned for her to come closer to him and Dum Dum.

‘Hey, your fella’s strong’, he reassured her. ‘And he has Captain to watch over him. He’ll be fine.’ Hope snorted.

‘I wish I could believe it.’

True to her ill-omened words, a few hours later, Steve and she locked themselves in an old shed near the camp with two bottles of liquor and pair of heavy hearts.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. Nearly done with this one. I'll be definitely doing the Avengers, although I can't promise the exact dates: I have a lot in my schedule! The rest of the MCU will depend entirely on you, peeps, so tell me if you want me to continue!

_As they got off safely on top of the train, an unexpected chill went through Hope._

_‘Buck…’ she murmured. James Falsworth noticed it and motioned for her to come closer to him and Dum Dum._

_‘Hey, your fella’s strong’, he reassured her. ‘And he has Captain to watch over him. He’ll be fine.’ Hope snorted._

_‘I wish I could believe it.’_

_True to her ill-omened words, a few hours later, Steve and she locked themselves in an old shed near the camp with two bottles of liquor and pair of heavy hearts._

 

Peggy steeled herself before she opened door leading into the old shed where Howling Commandos reported Hope and Steve to be. Howard was already drunk beyond coherency and into stupor, the rest of the Commandos in similar state, and Peggy didn’t expect anything different from the infamous duo. She got the shock of her life when she saw them still awake, coherent, talking with each other, their bottles only halfway empty and fire crackling in the fireplace.

‘Steve? Hope?’ She called out to them. Hope set down her bottle and turned her head to look at her from cross-legged position on the floor.

‘Peggy’, she greeted her warmly, patting the floor next to her. ‘Come here.’ She waded in, mindful of the debris, and knelt beside Hope, on Steve’s right side. He only then lifted his gaze from the floor, sending Peggy a shaky smile.

‘Hey’, he greeted as well, returning the gaze to the floor and the bottle standing in front of him.

‘Alcohol doesn’t work on him. The serum’, Hope sighed when she noticed Peggy’s curious look. ‘And my… condition… seems to dull any haze-inducing substance, alcohol included.’ Peggy winced in sympathy.

‘How did your ‘condition’ start, anyway?’ she asked her. ‘You never told anyone.’ Hope smiled bitterly.

‘I did’, she revealed. ‘Three more people knew. Out of three of them, one is now dead, second is drunk beyond any coherent thought, and the third’, she nodded to Steve, ‘is in this room, trying to forget he exists.’ Steve snorted.

‘You forget your mum.’ Hope waved the comment off.

‘She barely understood what was happening. I had to figure things out on my own.’

‘Stark knows?’ Peggy was surprised. The egoistical inventor had a ‘blabber-mouth’ written of his face and on her list of his vices: it was hard to believe he kept Hope’s secret for so long.

‘He noticed how HYDRA guns reacted when I was nearby, and got curious’, Hope twirled a strand of her hair, eyes misty, lost in the memory. ‘I had to tell him after that.’

‘At least he was nicer about it than what Skull put us through’, Steve mumbled, his left hand clenching unconsciously. Hope shuddered, and Peggy hugged her briefly.

‘I know.’

**_Three months earlier_ **

Even though Hope and Steve fought like possessed, taking down anyone who came into the throwing distance of Steve’s shield or Hope’s daggers, they were overwhelmed and knocked out, then carted off to the HYDRA base a dozen miles away from the original location. There they woke up in their separate cells.

‘Hope?’ Steve called out groggily, pushing himself up from the cot and almost immediately falling down, the restraints on him not allowing him a whole lot of movement.

‘Stevie?’ Hope answered, finding herself in similar predicament, although it was only hands cuffed behind her back and collar slapped on her. She closed her eyes and opened them a moment later, a hiss escaping from her lips.

‘You okay?’ Steve was worried.

‘Fine, just… they collared me. No way of escaping now.’ Hope sat up in lotus position, breathing deeply.

‘Damn. And I thought I had it bad.’

‘Stevie?’ Now Hope couldn’t help herself but worry about her friend.

‘Strapped to my cot, can’t move if I wanted to.’ Hope bit her lip. Steve sensed her apprehension.

‘At least no collar for me yet’, he joked. Hope snorted, smile breaking out on her face despite the situation.

‘Not yet, Herr Kapitäin’, came a purring voice as Johann Schimdt rounded the corner, stopping in front of Steve’s cell. Steve struggled briefly then settled for sending him a death glare. Johann only laughed in response and walked to Hope’s cell.

‘Your friend, however, does look ravishing in hers’, he mused, ignoring Hope’s incredulous glare. ‘One would question how you two haven’t fallen into bed yet.’

‘He’s my _friend_ ’, Hope spluttered out after a shocked pause. ‘And I have a fiancé waiting for me.’

‘No way’, Steve agreed with her. ‘I prefer not getting stabbed to death in my sleep. Sorry, Hope.’

‘Don’t be’, Hope reassured him then returned her attention to the other supersoldier who was watching their exchange with hawk-like eyes, raising her eyebrow.

‘Incredible’, Johann murmured, walking slowly between the two cells. ‘Separated, yet unflinching… My offer from Azzano still stands.’ Hope shook her head.

‘The answer’s still no’, Steve verbalized his sentiment, and Johann grimaced.

‘Well, if the persuasion doesn’t work…’ With those words he walked out and returned a moment later, Doctor Zola in tow. Steve froze for one horrible moment, thinking he will enter his cell, then started trashing as Zola moved past his cell and pulled out the key for Hope’s.

‘Leave her alone!’ Steve yelled in tandem with Hope’s mad scramble to the other end of the cell, her back hitting the damp wall.

‘I will, my dear Captain’, Johann smiled unsettlingly. ‘But only if you two agree on certain terms.’ Steve desperately wished to look at Hope’s face for even a moment as he agreed, already imagining the torture they’ll go through.

**_Present_ **

‘Was it awful?’ Peggy asked gently. Hope shook her head.

‘It wasn’t terrible, surprisingly.’

‘Not so much’, Steve countered, his entire posture coming alive for the first time during Peggy’s visit. He straightened up and moved over to Hope’s other side. ‘He was obsessed with us, remember?’

‘I don’t’ know how you dealt with him’, Hope nodded in agreement. ‘He only wanted me around because of portalling: _you_ were the big prize for him.’ Steve shuddered as he leaned on Hope’s shoulder.

‘Tomorrow we’re hitting the last base’, Peggy offered after a pause. Hope sighed and Steve closed his eyes.

‘We’ll be ready’, Steve said morosely. ‘Would you leave us now, Agent Carter?’ Peggy stood up quietly and moved to the exit.

‘Peggy?’ Hope called after her. She stopped and turned just in time to catch a sky-blue ribbon and a pocket watch.

‘What…?’

‘If we don’t return’, Steve spoke, his eyes still closed, ‘keep the watch and bury it with my body.’

‘Same with the ribbon, but give it to Howard’, Hope instructed her, petting Steve’s hair. A cold realization hit Peggy.

‘You don’t plan on returning alive.’ Steve smiled gently.

‘We lost everyone and everything’, Hope explained for both of them. ‘Everything but the cause. Would you be willing to do the same in our place, Agent Carter?’


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm seriously bored. The heat outside doesn't allow me to go out, and there's no Internet connection so I'm leeching off my phone. Okay, who am I fooling - I'm in the zone, and I really wanted to finish this quickly before other ideas pop in my head.

**_2011_ **

Tony was neck-deep in the schematics for Mark VI, Mark V opened on the holographic display right next to him for reference. AC/DC was blasting on the deafening level, and he was humming as he sipped the green drink Dummy and JARVIS made for him.

_Sir, Director Fury of SHIELD is trying to contact you._

‘Nicky-boy? Why, I’m flattered. Patch him through.’ A second later AC/DC quieted and Nick’s electronic voice echoed in Tony’s workshop.

‘ _Stark, you better haul your ass up to SHIELD’s HQ now._ ’ A pause. Tony could discern Coulson’s voice in the background yelling orders.

‘Ooh, since when does SHIELD need help from me? ‘Narcissist, arrogant playboy billionaire’, was it?’

‘ _That’s not the point, Stark._ ’ The ice in Fury’s voice was razor-edged, making Tony pause. He never heard that particular voice.

‘Okay, cool your engines Eyepatch! What is it?’ Nick’s sigh carried over the line.

‘ _We found them._ ’ The glass slipped from Tony’s suddenly lax grasp, falling on the floor and shattering without Tony noticing.

‘You _found them?!_ ’ There was no mistaking the joy and shock in Tony’s voice. ‘JARVIS, get me Mark IV. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!’

‘ _We wanted to be sure of their identity._ ’ Suddenly the alarm joined hubbub on the other end of the line, and Fury swore. ‘ _Scratch that, Stark, we need you on the streets! They have escaped!_ ’ Tony froze as Mark IV encased his body.

‘Escaped? Are you telling me they’re still _alive?!_ ’

 

Steve woke up in stages; first the sense of touch returned to him, then smell, hearing and the vision at the end. He carefully opened his eyes to the sight of the ventilator spinning and bland hospital room ceiling. Blinking slightly, he noticed the other bed at the edge of his vision, Hope laying on it. The sight rang the alarm in his head.

‘Hope?’ he called, his voice scratchy. The girl turned her head and smiled weakly.

‘Hey, Stevie.’ She looked around. ‘Guess we survived.’

‘Yeah.’ The baseball game on the radio piqued his attention. After listening it for few moments, he paled, even more alarms going off in his head.

‘Hope? Something’s wrong.’ Hope raised her eyebrows and closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened them with horrified look on her face, but before she could tell him exactly what was wrong, nurse entered the room, strengthening the feeling of wrongness.

‘Hello Captain Rogers’, she completely ignored Hope. ‘Are you feeling alright?’

‘Where are we?’ Steve cut her off. Nurse blinked in surprise and – was it anxiety?

‘New York City’, she said checking her charts. Everything in Steve was now screaming _wrong, liar, liar!_ , and Hope was getting paler and paler as the nurse spoke.

‘Stop lying!’ he hissed, gesturing toward the radio. ‘I was on this game. Where. Are. We?’

‘Captain -’ But Steve was already up and across the room, tugging pale-as-sheet Hope out of her bed and on his back and pushing past the nurse into the corridor who, while not screaming HYDRA, was definitely not one Allies had. The only thing he could think of was to run like a devil.

‘Stevie-Stevie!’ Hope yelled in his ear to get his attention, her front flush against his back. ‘Through the window!’ He instantly swerved, avoiding the dart aimed for his legs and jumped through the window, Hope portalling them safely to the asphalt. Steve started running the moment he felt the ground under his bare feet, trusting Hope to keep them safe. The girl had her eyes closed as Steve run, her arms around Steve’s neck.

‘Steve’, she murmured. ‘Times Square straight ahead.’ Steve nearly stopped in shock as her sentence registered.

‘What are you talking about, Hope?’ he demanded as he paused in front of the cordon of black cars on Times Square, if Hope was right. The worst thing was, if he ignored all the flashing images on the buildings and strange cars, he could recognize it.

‘We are in New York, Steve’, she said tiredly. ‘But this isn’t our New York.’

‘Stand down, soldier’, came an order from Afro-American man with an eyepatch and long trench coat. Steve relaxed after a moment, letting Hope slide off his back and standing in front of her. ‘Sorry for the deception. We wanted to break this to you slowly.’

‘Break what?’ Steve asked impatiently.

‘I told you Stevie: this isn’t our New York’, Hope mumbled in sync with man’s ‘You were asleep for quite a while, Cap. For almost seventy years’ reveal.  Steve paled, taking a step back, but before he could reply, red-and-gold robot crashed next to the cordon. Hope and Steve tensed, but the man who spoke with them just groaned and rolled his eyes.

‘Perfect timing as always, Stark’, he jabbed at the robot. _Stark?_ Hope and Steve exchanged a look: Steve hopeful, Hope confused before the robot flipped open his faceplate, revealing handsome male face both similar and not to Howard Stark at the same time. Steve deflated slightly, and Hope narrowed her eyes.

‘I live to serve, Nicky’, not-Howard snarked back at – Nicky? Was is nickname for Nick? – and turned around to Steve and Hope, sizing them up. ‘Silver Comet? Captain America?’

‘Steve’, Steve corrected out of habit. ‘Just Steve off-duty.’

‘Hope, please’, Hope grimaced. ‘I wanted to strangle Howard after he gave me that name.’ Not-Howard’s lips pulled up, and Steve felt a low burn in his belly at the sight. He looked at Hope in panic: she gave him _calm-the-hell-down-Rogers_ and _we-will-talk-later_ looks and turned her eyes back to the man inside the… robotic suit? Steve wasn’t sure how to call it, but if he was in any way related to Howard, he will know in less than five minutes: Howard just couldn’t stop talking about his inventions.

‘You and I’, not-Howard gestured to Hope, ‘will get along fabulously. No promises about Captain Patriotic, though.’ He opened one of the hidden plates on his left arm and pulled out sky-blue ribbon, making Hope’s eyes water; Steve felt as if someone punched the air out of his lungs. This, if nothing else, was proof enough that Howard was unable to meet them.

‘Name’s Tony Stark. Howard was my dad.’


End file.
